A Hero Reborn
by Vash El Stampede
Summary: After the events of Sonic Adventure 2... Shadow survives his plummet to Earth and lives a normal life away from everything he knew, waiting for that one shining moment to reclaim the spotlight and make up for his previous evils, and to truly become a Hero
1. Getting back on your feet

(Please note: the following story takes place after the events of 'Sonic Adventure 2'. There may be spoilers contained herein, so be warned.)

TIME: 9:45PM

LOCALE: High above the Earth, and plummeting fast.

Shadow the Hedgehog falls towards Earth, the Finalhazard defeated and the people of the world saved. He closes his eyes and accepts his fate. _Maria, I have fulfilled my promise to you. The world is safe. Gerald's work shall not be in vain, and neither will your sacrifice. _Just then, before combusting into flames due to atmospheric reentry; Shadow hears a voice inside of his head... Maria's voice! _Shadow, the people are saved, but for how long? You need to live to ensure their safety for years to come! _"Maria?!" Shadow exclaimed. "She's right," he said to nobody in particular as he began to concentrate hard, "These people need me! Chaos Control!" He shouts as he disappears in a flash of light.

His Chaos control manages to get him through the stratosphere, that's about it. He reappears in the sky, still falling towards Earth. Passed out, Shadow can do nothing but fall. Luckily, there's an ocean to catch him and catch him it does; hard. Unnoticed, Shadow begins to sink into the dark blue depths. Almost 3 full days pass by and Shadow is nowhere to be seen, until a U.S. Submarine returning to dock at Camp Zama, Japan has an unusual passenger.

Armed M.P. personnel bring the Hedgehog out into the sunlight. You can tell he's still recovering from his fall and his time under the ocean. His arms are handcuffed and his legs are shackled. The two M.P. personnel acting as escorts/guards of the 'prisoner' salute a third, unidentified man. One of them speaks, "Sir! We found Sonic drifting at sea almost two full days ago and immediately took him into custody. He was in bad shape, but he'll recover. We attempted to interrogate, but his condition hampered all attempts."

_Sonic?! That's right! They still think I am Sonic, and that Sonic is responsible for the infiltration and theft from the military base._ Lost in thought for a moment, Shadow doesn't realize he's being led to a prison cell. He finally realizes when he hears the grinding of an iron-barred door closing and locking.

Shadow paces in his cell. He's been in solitary confinement, getting three square meals a day... Sure, if you consider bread and some unidentified substance as a meal. And water, well, Shadow doesn't even want to look at water again, much less drink it. However, even if he wanted to, this water is rust and iron-ridden and the glass is dirty. He's ready to go out of his mind when suddenly, the door opens. Two M.P. personnel come in and unlock his cuffs and shackles. Shadow looks up, a bit confused at the man everyone referred to as 'sir'. Standing there about 182 cm tall with blonde, spiked hair so straight it looks like a brush head. His Dog Tags gently reflecting the dim fluorescent lighting, resting outside of the hunter green tank top he wears over his massive frame.

"You're free..." the man spoke, offering his hand to the hedgehog. "I'm afraid we have the wrong guy. You're not Sonic, are you?" Shadow looks down at the outstretched hand, and hesitantly shakes it. "No, I'm not." Is the reply, in a rather cold tone. "You have a name, then?" The commander smirks a bit, realizing that his former prisoner is rather peeved. "Mine's Guile, if you're wondering." Shadow looks up at him, then away again. "Shadow." Guile's eyes widened, as he remembers his former partner and best friend transformed into a monster by a maniacal tyrant named M. Bison. After a slue of hideous experiments performed on him, his friend; Charles Nash; was transformed into a cold-blooded killer named Shadow. Shaking these vile visions away from his memory again, Guile looks down at the Black hedgehog. "Well, I know the food here... well... sucks." He chuckles a bit. "Want to get some good food? I know a nice restaurant right off the base." Shadow attempts to decline, but his stomach intercedes. "Sure."

Both the Air Force commander and the renegade hedgehog tell their own respective stories over lunch. Shadow is moved by Guile's story, and inquires more into it. "So, do you think Charlie, or 'Shadow' is still around? And if so, do you think there's a way he may be returned to normal?" Guile looks away, "No. That's impossible. It was later discovered that 'Shadow' was actually a cyborg. Nobody knows what happened to Charlie. Last I saw him, he was fighting M. Bison on a cliff and he used his 'Somersault Justice' to actually cleave the cliff and detach the part they were standing on. They both plummeted into the raging waters below. We all thought M. Bison was done for, but he wasn't. He returned a few years later with a new scheme, and was defeated for good then." They finished off the rest of their lunch in silence and then they parted ways. "Take care, Shadow." Guile waves at his newfound friend. "You sure you're going to be OK? Got a place to go and all?" Shadow looked a pit puzzled. He didn't think about that yet but was too proud to take any more of Guile's help. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He said, and then rocketed off.

_Hmmm... I hadn't thought about that yet. Where will I go? I could always return to Sonic and the rest, but could I really impose on them that much to let me have a place to stay? No._ While trying to figure a plan of action, he's overcome by feelings of guilt. If he hadn't helped Dr. Robotnik steal the Chaos Emerald, if he hadn't stopped Sonic & Co. at every turn, if he hadn't done any of that, there would have been no need to even fight the Finalhazard. _I can't go back to them at all... not after what I've put them all through. I have to figure out what to do on my own and when I'm ready, I'll make it all up to them... my friends. _With that, he bolts off in the direction of Tokyo. It's only 25 miles northeast from Camp Zama. Not too far, especially not for a hedgehog that can run at supersonic speeds.


	2. A new era is born

TIME: 10:36PM

LOCALE: Downtown Tokyo

"Someone stop that thief!" A short, portly man ran out of a store frantically pointing at a blue car speeding away. Just then, a black and red blur flew past him, causing a burst of wind so powerful it knocked over displays and swept the street pretty well. Within a few seconds Shadow was on the car, breaking through the sunroof and knocking out the thief and his accomplices. After commandeering the car and parking it, he then ties them up and takes the car keys, enough to occupy the thieves until the authorities arrive. On his way back, he drops the sack full of goods and money at the store's front door without waiting for a reward or even a 'Thank you'.

This has been the daily routine for Shadow in his off-time for the past few years. His semblance to Sonic has netted him a fairly well-paying job, and his notoriety as being that "other hedgehog" (news reports and of course, Sonic's media coverage after the destruction of the Finalhazard have brought some of Shadow's identity to light, but not much) has given him some connections. He lives in a nice apartment; small, but nice. He also has his job at a cosplay café where he's a big hit; probably because he's the only one without a costume. Once in a while he has to dye his hair blue and "cosplay" as Sonic, which is understandably odd for him but he manages. However, in his off-time he goes to the local gym and, as was just seen, fights crime.

He likes to participate in athletic competitions as well. He has been at quite a few track meets and has excelled in the racing events even without his rocket-propulsion shoes. Shadow can often be found at martial arts tournaments as well. To date, he has seen "The King of Fighters" tournament 3 times. Once every year he's lived in Tokyo. He has also followed the progress of the less known "World Martial Arts Tournament"; buying newspapers and even a satellite dish for his house to catch international news reports to find out info on the fighters and their progress in the tournament. (For those that don't know, "World Martial Arts Tournament" is the name given to the tournament that 'Street Fighter' revolves around. It's not really an organized tournament, but it does have a host and the fighters are selected fighters from around the globe.) Shadow doesn't know why he's drawn to these competitions, but he assumes it's due to the violent upbringing he was subjected to, or at least, from what he can remember.

Turning the pages of the newspaper this day however will bring much excitement to our dark hero, for in today's paper is the announcement of the 2007 Tenkaichi Budoukai ("World's Best Tournament") tournament being held on May 7th. His palms begin to sweat with anticipation, for this may just be the chance to take the spotlight once more, but this time as a full-fledged hero and not as a villain. Only then, can he finally feel atoned for his past atrocities and can return to his friends. This is his test, his new legacy. He looks at his clock/calculator/calendar/camera... thing and realizes that the date is July 2nd 2006. He has almost a full year to prepare! So, he dashes to the gym and gets right to work.

"Coach..." Shadow shouts, running into the gym. It's a nice, quaint place. Not too fancy or over-the-top but it's perfect for completing its purpose. "Coach, you need to help me get ready for Tenkaichi Budoukai! It's about a year away!" Everyone that went to the gym called him 'coach' but he was really the gyms proprietor/owner. He turned around to face Shadow with a big grin on his face, rustling his spiky black hair with his fingers. "Wow Shadow! I didn't know you wanted to enter Tenkaichi Budoukai! I think I've been in every one of them since I was a little baby!" He exclaimed, a tone of excitement in his voice. Shadow looked over at the aptly built man; perusing his physique under the orange karate gi he wore. _Hmmm... he is well built, but is he Tenkaichi Budoukai material... I wonder... _"Well, coach... what's the farthest you've ever gotten in one?" He speaks his mind, and he gets an answer as well, though not the one he expected. "Oh, I've won a couple of them!" The coach points to a rather old, framed newspaper clipping that read 'Amazing youth conquers odds to win Tenkaichi Budoukai!' upon further reading, Shadow comes to a startling discovery: "No way.... You're.... Goku?!"


	3. Training in anothers Shadow

TIME: 10:00AM

LOCALE: Open field

"Well, you're early!" Goku sounded shocked at arriving at his personal training spot to see Shadow already there, stretched and ready to go. "Well then, let's get started, OK?" "That's fine with me!" Shadow was actually excited at the chance to learn under someone as legendary as Son Goku. _I expected to get a few measly tips from a little-known somebody and here I am being trained under a seasoned veteran! How lucky I am!_

Their training lasts for a few hours each day almost every day of the week. During their training, Goku explains the concept of **chi** energy to Shadow, and how to manipulate it. He also explains that it's more then just for throwing fireballs; its uses vary and it helps regulate one's mind and body. Shadow explains to Goku his Chaos Control powers and together they make a correlation between chi energy and Chaos energy. "I'm not saying that Chaos Emeralds are chi based, but I'm saying that the way you can manipulate that energy could be something inherent in your body and you may be able to do the same with your chi." Goku should be wearing a professor's smock and hat, rather then his Jankenpo gi. Shadow listens intently; _I've never even heard of half the things he's speaking about before, and yet he talks of them as if they're everyday occurrences, amazing! _

The second phase of their training takes place about a month and a half later. Shadow has already learned most of the basics and for what he lacks in the mastery of those, his unusual and unorthodox abilities more then make up for it. "The second phase of training is chi manipulation, which we have already discussed briefly. Ready?" Goku questions the hedgehog as he outstretches his hand. Shadow nods confusedly and takes the Saiyan's hand. Just then, Goku raises two fingers to his head and together they suddenly appear in a small room. "Wha? How? How did you use the Chaos Control?" Shadow looks at Goku shocked whilst Goku just laughs. "I didn't, silly! I used 'Instant Transmission', it's similar I guess to your Chaos Control, but its chi based. You see, I lock onto something's energy signature, then I synch my chi to match theirs. The rest is just an improvised Zanzoken technique." Shadow's facial features are all completely blank, and for a moment, Goku thinks he can see Shadows eyes and nose lining up to form a big question mark. "OK, maybe that was too much, but you'll learn soon enough, trust me."

The seasoned pro pulls a TV over and sits Shadow down in a rather comfy couch as he pops a DVD in the player. "What are we watching?" Shadow is met with nothing but a nod from Goku, who motions to the TV. On the screen, suddenly are warriors that our hero knows well from his following of martial arts. "Why, that's Terry Bogard! And Ryu Hoshi! Chun-Li Xiang, Sagat, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami!" Then his eyes widen at a more personally familiar face, "Guile?! Guile is a warrior?" Goku is a bit shocked at Shadow's knowledge. "Wow. You really like martial arts, huh? I had no idea you knew all of these people. Yeah, Guile is a former 'World Martial Arts Tournament' competitor. Why? Do you know him?" Shadow nods a bit and then continues to watch the video. _I had no idea Guile was a warrior. _"Why are you showing me this video, Goku?" "I'm glad you asked..." was almost the preemptive reply from the sensei. Goku then explains that all the special techniques shown on this video are all performed with chi energy, and that anybody with the proper training could perform these great feats of martial arts mastery. _Regardless of the time and dedication it takes, I must learn all I can from Sensei Goku. This power must be harnessed for the good of mankind and I'm just the one to do it!_

A few months later, Shadow is starting to learn how to manipulate chi. He can feel it flowing in him, and can learn to focus it, or rather, localize it's flow in a part of his body. He has already utilized this to aid his rocket-propulsion shoes in flying and running speed, and is slowly learning outward force chi manipulation; or as Goku likes to call it: 'How to fire energy blasts 101'. During a practice of the 'Kamehameha' maneuver, Shadow collapses to the ground almost passing out. Goku rushes over to help him out. "Shadow, you're trying too hard. You've got almost a full 6 months until the tournament, take your time." _Take my time, he says. He's been doing this for years! I have less then half of one to learn before the tournament._ Shadow struggles to his feet, standing about 124cm tall. "Wow Shadow, you've gotten some muscle through this training, huh? You're even a bit taller now, I think." Goku attempts to eye Shadow's current height with the height he remembers 2 years ago when he first signed up at the gym. Of course, not one much for cognitive thought processes, this simple task becomes a 5-7 minute ordeal for Goku, usually ending in only a semi-conclusive decision and giving him a migraine. "Maybe we should call it a day, huh? I need an aspirin..."


End file.
